Customers in the UK are preparing for the launch of the PS3 on their shores, and retailers are preparing by offering the system in one of the most hated things in gaming–a bundle.
HMV, a large retail media chain in the UK, Ireland, Australia, and Canada, has announced that any PS3 hopeful can get his or her hands on one by buying it in a bundle–not with an obvious addition of PS3 games, but with a PSP and two games for the handheld. The entire bundled package will cost 675 GBP ($1322 USD)–250 GBP ($490 USD) more than a standalone PS3.
The retail store explains this strategy–which some might call blackmail–by stating that customers who purchase this bundle will "take precedence" over others who only want to buy a PS3 by itself. HMV states that they will have an allocation of approximately 5,000 PS3s and associated PSPs in tow for the special package.
A spokesman for HMV explained, "The reason we went down this route, which has met with a mixed response, is in order to maximize the number of consoles to as many as we can get from Sony. Inevitably, there’s a limited number, and we decided to do it this way to ensure we could meet as many of our preorders as possible."
The reason for HMV bundling its PS3s probably goes beyond the wish to "meet as many of our preorders as possible"–it generates higher profits by bundling PSPs into the deal. While bundles have never been very popular among the gaming community, the practice continues by retailers because of the large profits they can accrue by linking the product purchase with other–typically unwanted–items. But the number of PS3 bundles is sure to escalate as the launch date looms closer in the UK, to the aggravation of gamers who simply want the machine, a few games, and nothing more.
